Girls Day Out
by Dr. Michaela Quinn
Summary: A scheme put together by Regina and Kathryn is supposed to bring the girls together. Daphne and Bay contemplate what it would have been like if they hadn't been switched.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Any "scene" that has Daphne or Emmett, I will still say "said, responded, replied, stated, etc." Because I don't want to have to say "signed" after every sentence. If Emmett is not there then Daphne is speaking (and possibly signing) just like on the show. If she is speaking TO Emmett then she is signing… I have never been a good one for sign language. I can finger spell. That's about it. Thanks folks. =) **

It was a bright, warm morning and the sun was shining in the window of Bay Kennish's bedroom. Grumbling about not getting enough sleep, Bay walked down the stairs to the kitchen. At the table her father, John, was drinking coffee while reading the newspaper. Her mother, Kathryn, was rushing around the kitchen as usual.

"Where's Toby?" Bay put out as a general question in no one direction. Both of her parents looked at her.

"He already left for band practice with Wilke. And you, come sit down and eat some breakfast." Kathryn said practically pushing Bay into the chair.

"What if I'm not hungry?" Bay asked looking at her mother from the chair.

"Well, you aren't going to be here a lot today, so you better eat while you are." Kathryn replied.

"What? Wait, why am I not going to be here?" Bay asked confused. John pulled the newspaper down and took another drink off of his cup.

"Your mother and Regina have something planned for today." He said. Bay looked at her mom with a puppy dog look.

"Please mom. Not another one of your mother-daughter bonding things." Bay pleaded. Kathryn smiled.

"I thought you enjoyed those." She paused. "And that's not it."

"So what have you and Regina done?" Bay asked. Kathryn walked over and put one hand on the table and one hand on the back of Bay's chair.

"Regina and I have decided it's time that you and Daphne spend some time alone together to get to know each other." Kathryn smiled.

"Oh no. Daphne and I know each other just fine." Bay tried to stand up, but Kathryn held a firm grip.

"You're not getting out of it that easily Bay. You won't be allowed in our house or Regina's until dinner." Kathryn said.

"What?" Bay exclaimed. Just then, Daphne walked in the door and looked about as excited as Bay felt.

"Good morning Daphne." Kathryn signed. "Did I get that right?" Kathryn asked. Daphne smiled at her and nodded.

"Yeah. You did." Daphne said.

"What are you so worried about mom?" Bay asked. Kathryn turned around where Daphne couldn't read her lips and looked at Bay.

"I have never had a deaf child before Bay. I want her to know that we are trying to communicate with her and get to know her better." Kathryn stated and then turned back to face Daphne.

"My mom told me about this "bonding" time with me and Bay. I have to tell you just like I told her that I think this isn't going to be a very good idea." Daphne said. Bay snorted. She walked over to Daphne.

"I don't think it will be either, but the sooner we get started the sooner we can come home." Bay said and they started to walk away. "Bye mom."

"Wait. Bay, Daphne?" Kathryn said. Bay touched Daphne's shoulder to get her attention and they both turned around. "Regina talked to Melody. She and Emmett know about this too. So you can't escape over there either."

"No problem." Daphne said. She turned around and they walked out of the kitchen towards the door.

"I just don't understand why they can't get along better." Kathryn said crossing her arms. John put down his newspaper down and looked at his wife.

"Why don't you get along with Regina?" John asked. Kathryn looked at him with an upset look in her eyes.

"That is not the same thing." Kathryn walked out of the room.

[

Bay and Daphne were standing the driveway with an awkward silence hovering over them like a heavy rain cloud.

"So…" Daphne paused. "What do you want to do?" Bay shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't set this up. My mom, your mom did." Bay stuttered. "That will never get any easier." Daphne shrugged and laughed a little.

"Probably not."

"Are you laughing at me?" Bay asked.

"No." Daphne replied.

"Okay." Bay took a deep breath in. "Do you want to go look at some of my art?"

"Sure." Daphne responded.

"Really?" Bay looked at her with a questioning look.

"We are supposed to be getting to know one another better. Art is a big part of your life. I would like to see some of your work. Toby says you are very talented." Daphne said. Bay laughed and then looked at Daphne.

"Just don't believe everything he believes you okay?" Bay said.

"Why?" Daphne questioned.

"Because he's full of it sometimes." Bay replied.

"Oh." Daphne said. The girls walked down the sidewalk through town until they got close to a place where Bay had created a work of art. "Nice." Daphne nodded. "What is it?"

"Can't you tell? It's a man trapped in society and his life the way it is." Bay said with excitement. She walked up to it and rubbed her hands on it. She then turned around and faced Daphne. "In a way it symbolizes my life. How I will always be looked at as Bay Kennish and I have to live up to the standards of the Kennish name. I can't just be Bay."

"Why can't you be?" Daphne asked. Bay snorted again.

"That's a long story." Bay said.

"I think we have the time." Daphne replied. Bay sighed and looked at Daphne.

"With my mom and dad and Toby it seems like they are the perfect family. Then there's me and I'm so much different than them. I don't fit into that picture perfect life." Bay paused, and then she looked Daphne up and down. "You do."

"Me? Well, if you don't fit in with your family, where do you fit?" Daphne asked.

"I don't know yet." Bay said. "That's what I'm exploring to find out." Bay sighed. "Have you ever thought about what it would have been like if we wouldn't have been switched? If you would have grown up in my family and me with Regina?" Daphne looked at the ground for a long time before she looked up at Bay.

"Yeah. I mean, I love my mom but for years I wished I could be more in a family like yours and then to find out that we were switched at birth." Daphne said.

"So you think our family is perfect?" Bay asked. Daphne chuckled.

"Nobody is perfect Bay. I never really thought about my life being different until we found out we were switched. I wonder what it would be like to hear my mom's voice or the birds." Daphne said.

"Wait, I thought you were able to hear before." Bay said. Daphne nodded.

"Yeah, I went deaf when I was three. Not really old enough to remember what it was like before it happened." Daphne replied.

"Are you saying you don't think you would have gotten sick if you lived with my family?" Bay questioned. Daphne looked at her long and hard, choosing her words carefully before answering.

"Your mom and dad have a lot more money than my mom and I could ever imagine. You probably had the best doctors growing up. I only saw a doctor when I was really sick because we couldn't afford it. My mom didn't have a job that paid her very much and so she didn't have health care. I'm not saying I regret becoming deaf because then I never would have met Emmett." Daphne smiled.

"You really do like Emmett don't you?" Bay asked.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Daphne replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Bay and Daphne were sitting on the city bus.

"I can't believe it's a Saturday and we're on our way to the school." Bay muttered.

"What'd you say?" Daphne asked touching her arm trying to clarify what she said. Bay turned to her.

"I said I couldn't believe that we're spending our day off at school."

"Hey, it's your school. Not mine. I'm just using the gym to practice my basketball." Bay looked at her outfit and sighed.

"At least I don't have to wear my uniform."

"I like your uniform." Daphne responded.

"Then you wear it." Bay scoffed. "I'd rather be at some public school somewhere that nobody knows my name because my father was a baseball player, or because of the switch.

"Are you embarrassed about your roots?" Daphne crossed her arms.

"No, but sometimes I wish I wasn't a Kennish." Bay replied.

"Your parents are great." Bay rolled her eyes.

"To you. You're the golden child. The one they always wanted. Well, now they finally have you and I can drift into the background, again."

"Bay?" Daphne asked. But before she could answer, they were getting off the bus. She grabbed her arm. "Bay! Listen to me!" Bay turned around irritated. She crossed her arms.

"Maybe I don't want to hear you talk about how amazing my parents are. You don't know them like I do."

"Maybe not, but I'd like to." Bay laughed.

"You have Regina who loves you. My parents always fight for you. My parents have been trying to get rid of me for years. I don't know who my father is and Regina wants nothing to do with me."

"Is that what you think?" Daphne asked.

"Forget about it." Bay responded and waved it off. "Let's go inside.

* * *

><p>As they walked through the school, Daphne looked around. The last time she was at Buckner Hall, John and Kathryn wanted her to attend the school with an interpreter. They walked into the art gallery. Daphne walked around as Bay headed straight for her newest piece.<p>

"This is incredible." Daphne walked around and stood next to Bay. She looked over at Daphne.

"I prefer my street art, but this is okay too." Daphne took a step forward. "You can't pick it up." Bay touched her arm to get her attention.

"What is it?" Daphne asked.

"It's a symbol of-" Bay started.

"Independence and invisibility." Daphne finished inspecting the sculpture.

"How'd you know?"

"Some of your effects sit on the edge, they are clinging for independence, but part of it is hidden, invisible to the naked eye."

"Wow."

"My mom is an artist remember?" She smiled.

"Maybe I'll have to talk art with your mom sometime."

"The last thing she painted was my bedroom at the house in Riverside. I'm not sure how much she'll do."

"But she was a great artist wasn't she?" Daphne nodded.

"The best; I always told her she should open her own gallery. Or at least put something in the gallery downtown, but she never wanted to."

"Maybe I can talk to her. Mom knows the owner of a large gallery downtown."

"That would be so cool! You think Kathryn could do that?"

"Of course. They're really close and mom did her a favor last year. I can talk to her when we get home."

"Great." Daphne smiled.

"Would you like to go to the gym? I'll watch you practice." Daphne looked at her.

"You hate basketball. You'd watch me practice?"

"You went to see my art."

"But I can appreciate art. You hate sports." Bay shrugged. "Wanna play one on one?" Bay laughed.

"It'll be the easiest game you ever won because I truly suck at the game."

"I'll go easy on you."

"Alright." She replied wearily. When Bay offered to watch her play, she never realized she'd be playing as well. She was uncoordinated and couldn't play sports like Toby could. That's why Toby and Daphne were so good together in sports. John Kennish was a professional baseball player. Bay didn't even know her real father.

* * *

><p>"You're better than you think you are." Daphne said blocking Bay from reaching the basket. Bay threw the ball and it hit the rim before flying to the other side of the gym.<p>

"Yeah, right." Bay muttered. Daphne chased the ball and a guy walked in.

"You can't be here."

"It's Saturday and I'm a student here." He looked at Bay and she noticed he probably wasn't much older than Toby. He looked at her as if he tried to place her. "Bay Kennish." She finally said.

"Oh Bay! I remember you now." He looked at Daphne who was walking up to her. "Who's this?"

"This is Daphne Vasquez. She's here with me."

"Oh, she's the other switched at birth girl." Bay nodded regretting that she ever brought up the subject. "If she's your parents' daughter, why doesn't she go here with you and Toby?" Daphne walked up next to them.

"We didn't want to take her from Carlton." Bay responded.

"Oh yes. She isn't smart enough to be here." He looked at Daphne and shouted, "Do you need help? I don't want you to get lost." He was sarcastic and laughed at her. When she didn't reply he turned to Bay. "What an idiot. And you have to spend time with her?" When Daphne saw Bay's shoulders and arms tense up, she touched her.

"Bay?" She said.

"Come on Bay." He mocked Daphne's voice.

"Shut up!" Bay exclaimed. "You don't know anything. Daphne is smart and doing well at Carlton. She's beautiful and a wonderful athlete. She's a better person for a sister," Bay stated looking at Daphne. "Let's go." They walked towards the gym doors. "You're the idiot here. Daphne may be deaf, but you're the impaired person in this room." They walked out the door and headed towards the front of the building to go home.


End file.
